A New Start
by Kairi-kun
Summary: Rachel's life didn't turn out how she wanted it to. She has a crappy job and no life anymore. But one person could change all of that for the former diva. Brittany/Rachel yuri


When Rachel had been shipped off by her dads to New York immediately after graduation she was more than happy to go. Everyone was there to watch her board the train and wave goodbye. But when she stared back at the friends she had made the last couple years of high school she wanted to cry. They all looked so happy. All but one. Brittany. She was frowning for some reason and Santana seemed to be putting distance between them. But Rachel couldn't dwell on it any longer because the train started moving and Rachel was no longer able to see her friends. Tears welled in her eyes as she stared out the window of the train. Her phone was laying in her lap with a picture that the glee club had taken after nationals pulled up. Tears silently fell down from the divas eyes as a small sad smile graced her lips.

The next few months she worked her ass off at NYADA. But it was all in vain. She was no longer the girl she had thought she was. Her dance instructor had shown her that. Her smile was strained nowadays as was her voice. Dropping out had been something that she hadn't planned for but she did and never looked back. She worked at a crappy book store that barely paid for her apartment or anything anymore. She lost herself when she left Lima. In her dreams she had always seen herself standing on a stage thanking her old friends who stood by her through it all while she received a Tony award. Finn was her husband and they had two amazing kids. But she got none of that. She had tried to keep in touch with everyone but when she got asked about NYADA she shut down. She erased everyone's numbers from her phone and broke it by throwing it at the wall. After that she just went through life with only the comfort of a picture of the glee club sitting by her bed.

Months went by and Rachel still hadn't done anything with her life. She had no back up plan and she had no one to hold her hand when she cried at night about her lost hopes and dreams. Someone at her work once suggested that she become a teacher but she brushed it off. She wasn't good enough for that. But the idea had sparked an interest in her mind. She had always loved to boss people around but she had been so focused on her singing that she never really thought about teaching. But now she was considering it. So she signed up for community college with the little money she had saved up and decided to major in education.

She wrote a book and it came out a year after that and was at the top of the charts. It was called "_My Heart_" by Rachel B. B. and she had dedicated it to the glee club. It wasn't what she had seen herself doing but it gave her the happiness that she wanted. But there was always the lingering memory of her dreams to be a Broadway star. But now that she thought about it, that dream was one in a million. Her smile had returned and although she was still working at that book store she wouldn't trade it for anything. Not even NYADA.

She hadn't heard from anyone that she knew from high school in almost two and a half years but she guessed that was her fault. She had gotten herself a new cellphone but she couldn't remember anyone's numbers so she only talked to her dads and Shelby,who had found her one day at work and wanted to talk. Shelby had been shocked by what had happened to her but she knew that Rachel had made the right choice for her. She had offered to call Quinn once and tell her that Rachel was fine but the former diva had declined the offer. She wasn't ready to hear someone take a shot at her about giving up. So the

two went there separate ways.

By the time she had turned twenty one she had three books out there and she doing fairly well. Rachel had quit her former job for one at a Broadway cafe that she knew. It paid more and it gave her a little comfort because she got to sing once a week. One day Kurt and Santana had walked in and Rachel had freaked out and bailed on her shift. The thing that had shocked her most was that both adults were wearing NYADA hoodies. If she didn't make it how could they have? Santana was her enemy for years because she had felt threatened by Santana's talent. She was better than her when it came to dancing but she had always thought singing was her biggest talent. Turns out that that was a lie. The next day when she came in for her shift the two were sitting at the bar laughing. She could hear bits and pieces of the conversation from the back where she was stocking.

"...can't believe Rachel dropped out" When she heard Kurt say that her heart stopped.

Santana flipped her beautiful hair behind her shoulder. "Think she got pregnant or something?"

"I figure Miss. Wannabee Diva wasn't good enough and dropped out after she realized that." Rachel's heart broke a little at that. Kurt had been one of her true friends, or so she thought.

Santana laughed and Rachel had the urge to go out there and slap the Latina. But her manager asked her to go help a customer at the table in the corner and she did as told. She kept her head down and was grateful that neither Kurt or Santana seemed to realize it was her when she walked past. But things got worse when she realized it was Cassandra July sitting at that table. The woman looked at Rachel with this smirk that made Rachel's teeth clench.

"Well if it isn't Rachel Berry. How are you doing?" The smug tone made Rachel feel a familiar pain in her heart.

She cleared her throat. "Order when your ready Ma'am."

"You could have been a great star someday Berry. You had talent."

Rachel looked at her like she was crazy. "Then why did you always say that I didn't?"

"Because I wanted to push you to do more than what you were giving me. I didn't realize that you would break like that and I honestly am sorry for that." The sincere tone made Rachel's breath hitch. "You should reapply."

She let her arms drop to her sides and shook her head. "I'm never going to be a singer or a Broadway star like I had wanted years ago. Singing is still a big part of my life but I cannot go through this again. I lost everything once and will not take a chance of that happening again. I've grown out of my impossible dream and found another."

"And what would that be?" Cassandra looked generally interested so Rachel continued.

She smiled as she said, "A teacher."

"Hmmm."

Rachel reached into the bag that she brought with her and pulled out three books."Here."She handed them to her former dance instructor."These are my first three published books. "

"I've read all of these and I must say that you do indeed have talent. Maybe you will be okay after all." The NYADA instructor stood up and handed the books back to Rachel. "I hope you know what your getting into though."

Rachel nodded and watched the blonde walk out the door. She turned back and looked at Santana and Kurt. They were still gossiping at the bar which made Rachel role her eyes. She grabbed her stuff at the end of her shift and headed for her apartment. She opened her mail box and was shocked to see an envelope addressed to her from one Brittany Pierce. She remembered how the blonde had looked when she was leaving and frowned. Something hadn't been right that day and maybe this would give her some clarity. Written on a slip of paper was her phone number and _"call me" _written on the back. Rachel did so that night and found that Brittany was now in New York. They made plans to catch up in a few days which excited Rachel. This would be the first time she was hearing from someone she knew.

A few days later Rachel put on a light blue blouse and black pleated skirt then headed for the cafe that Brittany said to meet at. The blonde was already there in front waiting when Rachel arrived. She was wearing a form fitting black skirt and a off the shoulder gray sweater. When she saw Rachel she hugged her excitedly and dragged her inside. The two sat down at a table in the corner and ordered coffee.

"It's so good to see you Rachel!" Brittany said with a bright smile that caused heat to flow to Rachel's cheeks.

She smiled back at the energetic blonde."It's great to see you Brittany. Please, tell me what you've been up to in the years we've been apart."

"After graduation I applied to several dance schools and then decided on one here in New York. I bought an apartment and got a job at an internet cafe to pay for my tuition and other expenses. I have gotten a few offers to be in some dance troops but declined so that I could finish my education. It was always my dream to be a dancer so I am glad that I took my chance coming here. And I am currently single. So what about you Rach?"

Rachel gave a sad smile. "Well when I came here I was so excited about what I was going to do but...well I didn't really fit in well at NYADA and ended up dropping out. After that I started working at a crappy book store to pay for everything. A co-worked told me that I should be a teacher so I started going to community college majoring in education. I'm still going but I have already published three books and am currently working on a fourth. And I am currently working at a Broadway cafe and like you am single."

"Everyone lost contact with you awhile ago. Why?" Brittany looked concerned which made Rachel feel guilty.

She gave a sheepish smile. "I broke my phone after it all got to be too much. Everyone was asking what NYADA was like and I had dropped out which made me feel terrible. I didn't want anyone to know what was happening so I threw my phone against a wall and when things started settling down I couldn't remember anyone's numbers so I just left it alone."

"Were you ashamed?" Rachel nodded. "You shouldn't be ashamed because we are your friends and we will always support you no matter what happens."

The former diva gave the blonde a small smile. "What happened to Santana?"

"We had started growing apart and soon there was nothing left to hold on to. We just agreed that maybe being only friends was the best thing for us. She stopped talking to me when she started dating this other girl but I'm over it. She can do whatever she wants." Rachel grabbed Brittany's hand and gave her a reassuring smile.

For the next few months the two were always getting together when they were free. It became a habit and soon Rachel realized that she was falling for the once ditzy cheerleader. When she confessed to Brittany the blonde had just kissed her and asked her to be her girlfriend. Rachel readily agreed. It didn't take long for them to fall completely in love and move in together. They got married after being together for almost two years and then found a sperm donor for them.

Almost four months after the birth of their first child Brittany received a letter from Mr. Shuester asking them to come back for a glee reunion. Rachel was hesitant to go back but Brittany assured her that she wouldn't let anyone make fun of her. So they packed for a few days and took the train back to Lima. They walked into the school that they once attended hand in hand. They peeked into the choir room with small smiles as they remembered the good times they had here. But they turned and walked towards the auditorium where everyone was standing on the stage laughing and talking. Artie was first to spot the two and waved to them. Brittany had let go of Rachel's hand and the brunette could feel her anxiety growing. Everyone settled down when Mr. Shuester told them to and he smiled.

"How about you guys tell us about what you have been doing these last few years."

Almost everyone had gone and now it was down to Brittany. "Well I am a dancer in New York and my spouse is a professor at NYU. We have one daughter named Annabel that we had four months ago. And I am very much in love with her."

Everyone smiled and looked at Rachel almost expectantly. "Well I live in New York and am an English professor at NYU with a daughter named Annabel who is now four months old. And I am very much in love with my wife, Brittany."

Everyone looked shocked as Brittany leaned over and pecked Rachel on the lips. Santana looked pissed but her wife squeezed her hand to stop her from lashing out at the former diva. The rest of the night was tense and Rachel was happy when they left. Brittany was holding Annabel watching Rachel stare at her computer screen. "I'm sorry, Rach. I didn't know that they would react like that."

"I knew they would but it doesn't bother me." She closed her lap top. "I'm just glad that you are by my side and always will be."

Brittany smiled and leaned down to kiss her wife. The rest of the night the two spent watching movies with Annabel asleep in her bed. Rachel looked over at Brittany. "I love you." The dancer leaned her forehead against Rachel's. "I love you too."


End file.
